Thread: Mexico's Convoy Sensitive Subject

Mexico Sending Storm Relief Convoy to U.S. By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer
Wed Sep 7, 3:18 AM ET

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u ... ina_mexico

MEXICO CITY - Radio talk shows and newspapers here buzzed with excitement over news that Mexico, long on the receiving end of U.S. disaster relief, was sending a hurricane aid convoy to help its larger, richer and more powerful northern neighbor.

Carrying water treatment plants, mobile kitchens and supplies to feed victims of Hurricane Katrina, the army convoy bound for Houston will be the first Mexican military unit to operate on U.S. soil since 1846.

The convoy has "a very high symbolic content," said Javier Oliva, a political scientist at Mexico's National Autonomous University. "This is a very sensitive subject, for historic and political reasons."

Large Mexican flags were taped to many of the 35 olive-green Mexican Army trucks and tractor trailers as they rumbled northward toward the border on Wednesday. The convoy was due to cross into Laredo, Texas, early Thursday, President Vicente Fox's office said.

"This is just an act of solidarity between two peoples who are brothers," Fox's spokesman Ruben Aguilar said of the mission.

The trucks, carrying 195 unarmed soldiers, officers and specialists, will apparently be used to provide water and hot meals for people evacuated from the New Orleans area.

The mayor of New Orleans has said thousands may have died from the powerful Aug. 29 hurricane. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced.

The convoy includes two mobile kitchens that can feed 7,000 people a day, three flatbed trucks carrying mobile water treatment plants and 15 trailers of bottled water, blankets and applesauce. It also includes military engineers, doctors and nurses.

"This is the first time that the United States has accepted a military mission from Mexico" for such work, said Javier Ibarrola, a newspaper columnist who covers military affairs in Mexico. "This is something that's never happened before."

The relief mission was controversial for some Mexican senators, who said the president should have sought Senate approval for sending troops.

But the government was already planning another 12-vehicle aid convoy for this week. It has sent a Mexican navy ship heading toward the Mississippi coast with rescue vehicles and helicopters.

The ship Papaloapan left the Gulf coast port of Tampico on Monday and is scheduled to dock Wednesday afternoon in the Mississippi River at a spot about 30 miles south of Biloxi, Miss.

"Military commands on both sides of the border have always been very sensitive about this kind of thing ... as we saw with the (U.S.) Marines when they came to Mexico to perform a funeral," said Oliva.

He was referring to a July 2004 incident in which Mexican troops interrupted the funeral of a Mexican-born Marine killed in Iraq. They had objected to the non-working, ceremonial rifles carried by two Marines who came from the United States for the ceremony.

Mexico later apologized but said it has an obligation to enforce a ban on foreign troops carrying weapons in its territory.

Mexico has sent disaster relief aid missions to other Latin American nations, but not to the United States.

In 1846, Mexican troops briefly advanced just north of the Rio Grande in Texas, which had then recently joined the United States. Mexico, however, did not then recognize the Rio Grande as the U.S. border.

The two countries quickly became mired in the Mexican-American War, which led to the loss of half of Mexico's territory in 1848.

QUOTE: The convoy has "a very high symbolic content," said Javier Oliva, a political scientist at Mexico's National Autonomous University. "This is a very sensitive subject, for historic and political reasons."

Large Mexican flags were taped to many of the 35 olive-green Mexican Army trucks and tractor trailers as they rumbled northward toward the border on Wednesday. The convoy was due to cross into Laredo, Texas, early Thursday, President Vicente Fox's office said.



President Bush, may I please thank you for this warm feeling which you have placed in my heart regarding this mission. To say it is a sensitive issue putting Mexican troops on U.S. soil when there are TWENTY MILLION illegals in the United States is such an understatement. Especially at a time when our country is undergoing a terrible crisis. To know that you would never allow Vicente Fox to do something highly controversial, such as to SEND MEXICAN TROOPS, which has never happened before, except in the 1800's when it resulted in a war is a very comforting feeling.

IMPEACH JORGE BUSH

I CAN'T STRESS THIS POINT ENOUGH. IT NEEDS TO BE DONE BEFORE THE NEXT VICTIM OF HIS INCOMPETENCE IS YOU, I OR ANYONE WE LOVE. ALLOWING MEXICAN TROOPS ON OUR SOIL LIKE THIS IS AN ACT OF TREASON. TELL ME THIS ISN'T INSANITY.

Maybe they are coming to take some of their fellow citizens back to Mexico.

YES. IT IS INSANITY to it's fullest extent.

#1. If we did not have this invasion of illegals we would not have foreign troops on U.S. soil.

2. Read the article, it will confirm that GWB is really trying to pull our strings, essentially. Make us look like we are losing the battle for enforcement of immigration laws. Override us, make us more fed up.
Maybe get us to become so frustrated that we give up. (Won't happen).

3. Fox and Bush are trying to see how far they can go...what they can get away with and using a time of crisis to find out.

4. One thing is for sure. There is no way these foreign troops could have any authority on our soil.

It would be more responsible journalism to amend the last sentence of the article to read:

The two countries quickly became mired in the Mexican-American War, which led to the loss of half of Mexico's claimed territory in 1848.

Mexico may have claimed the whole enchilada, but they inhabited and controlled little of the region making legitimate ownership questionable. But, claiming stuff and places they don't own just seems to be another one of those values that don't stop at the border. GWB never ever mentions the bad stuff that doesn't stop at the border. I'm sure he would tell us and make the right decisions if he only knew. How sad it must be for him to have an administration so plagued with "bad intelligence".

"This is just an act of solidarity between two peoples who are brothers," Fox's spokesman Ruben Aguilar said of the mission.

Oh how cozy for you and your best compadre, Hor-hey.

The rest of us don't think it's cozy and we don't want your military here.

How arrogant your words - "solidarity between two peoples who are brothers"

The only two people in America who fit that statement are you and your bosom buddy, Hore-hay!

Wonder how long the Mexican troops plan to be here to help. Or are they going to attempt to set up shop here? I find this very disturbing.

I just heard this on talk radio. The radio host was going over a list of the countries that are helping us and what they are doing.

Mexico. He said, "My question is, Why don't they take all this stuff back and take care of their own country!!?"

Would'nt THAT be the BEST way Mexico could help the United States?!!

But, "helping" us is not the real purpose of why they are here, is it, President Bush

Also many of the major news outlets arent saying anything, the most i have seen is something real brief on CNN, i havent seen any mention of it my MSNBC or Foxnews!

I have called all my reps and they told me on the phone that this is the first time that they have heard about it. What BS!

Pro